Citations filed against BASE jumpers who leapt from LDS Church office building

Published: Friday, Jan. 21 2011 9:00 p.m. MST

A base jumper, just left of the green traffic light in black, jumped from the LDS Church Office Building seen at right. (Randal Longstroth, for the Deseret News)

SALT LAKE CITY — Police have filed citations against two men suspected of BASE jumping off of the LDS Church office building in November.

Scott Fisher, acting prosecutor for Salt Lake City, said Hartman Rector, 28, and Marshall Miller, 32, are each charged with one count of criminal trespass and once count of disturbing the peace. Both counts are infractions carrying a base fine of $750 with surcharges that could boost the penalty to a $1,200 maximum fine for each count.

Fisher said arraignments have been set for both men. Rector's is scheduled for Jan. 31 and Miller is to be arraigned on Feb. 2.

Prosecutors have been reviewing the cases and are expected to file information on each case early next week, Fisher said. He didn't say if prosecutors will be adding or dropping charges based on their review.

On Nov. 12, two men reportedly jumped 420 feet from the 26th-floor observation deck of the 28-story LDS Church Office Building, located at 50 E. North Temple.

In surveillance video released by the church, two men are seen wearing noticeably large backpacks in the elevator on their way to the upper floor. Employees within the building and passersby outside reported seeing the parachutists descend, then land in a parking lot north of the building and flee in a silver sport utility vehicle.

BASE is an acronym that stands for buildings, antennae, spans (bridges) and earth (cliffs), and jumping from such locations is believed by thrill-seekers to be the ultimate extreme sport. However, it is also one of the more dangerous thrills to seek, according to death statistics related to the sport.